Fishing Halted Following Shooting

For the first time ever…fishing is off limits in certain Maine waters because of concerns over violence.The Maine Department of Marine Resources announced on Tuesday that it will close Matinicus Island and the immediate surrounding waters to lobster and crab fishing.The announcement comes the same day a Matinicus Island man bonded out of jail following his arrest for allegedly shooting another lobsterman.Vance Bunker is scheduled to appear in a Rockland court some time Wednesday.State police say 77-year-old Bunker shot 38-year-old Chris Young in the neck Monday morning on an island pier.It happened in front of a marine patrol officer, who was investigating a dispute between the two men over lobster fishing.Young is recovering at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.Bunker is charged with elevated aggravated assault.”I’ve been a Marine warden for 34 years believe it or not,” Said Col. Joe Fessenden on Tuesday. “This is the first time that a fisherman’s been shot as a result of something like this. Any number of times we’ve had firearms brandished: we’ve had assaults, fist fights, things like that. This is the first time where actually someone pulled the trigger.”The state says serious lobster gear conflicts have persisted at Matinicus Island, and the fishing area around the island throughout the spring and summer.Conflicts, they claim, have escalated to the point of having an adverse affect on the safety of lobster fisherman and the economy of the island community.Officers cite property being vandalized, hundreds of lobster trap lines cut, and people attacked and threatened.The closure takes affect 30 minutes before sunrise on Thursday and ends at midnight on Thursday Aug. 6. It bans all lobster and crab fishing licensed activities including the setting or taking up of gear.